U.S. conducts additional strikes on Iran amid renewed Hormuz tensions

U.S. Central Command announced Saturday that it carried out another series of strikes against Iranian targets, following Friday’s retaliatory attacks that were described as a direct response to Iran’s aggression against commercial shipping. The latest U.S. action was said to have been ordered by the president and targeted missile and drone storage sites and coastal radar installations in Iran.

Iran responded by claiming to have hit "targets linked to the American aggressor forces" and accused Gulf states of allowing hostile actions against Tehran. Bahrain, which hosts the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet, condemned an Iranian drone attack on its territory as a violation of its sovereignty.

The escalation began on Thursday when Iran fired at least four drones at vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz, hitting the Singapore-flagged cargo ship M/V Ever Lovely. No injuries were reported and the ship remained operational. The United States said the incident breached the cease-fire agreement signed a week earlier, which called for the reopening of the strait and safe passage of commercial vessels for 60 days.

Iranian officials, including a senior former Revolutionary Guard commander, warned that any further violations of the memorandum would be met with a "swift and decisive" response. U.S. Vice President JD Vance said that disagreements over the agreement could be resolved diplomatically, but that violence would be met with violence.

The International Maritime Organization confirmed that the struck vessel was not operating under its evacuation framework, and the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations raised the threat level in the strait, advising mariners of possible mines and ongoing naval clearance operations.